Snowier season for Stark, but warmup won't last

Stark County residents are seeing more snow this season than they did over the same time last year.

Lori Steineck CantonRep.com staff writer @lsteineckREP

Get ready for a warmup, forecasters say, but what comes next remains uncertain in a season in which we've seen about 65 percent more snow than last year.

"There's a storm system that we're watching," said Tom King, meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Cleveland office.

The low pressure system expected to move up from the southern United States will start with a developing low in Alabama and Georgia Friday morning and early afternoon and move up into "the spine of the Appalachians" around midnight Friday, King said.

From there, one forecast model says snow can be expected for northern Virginia and Maryland, he said, adding that another model lists southeastern Ohio.

"Things are a little far out time-wise. Right now it's a little far out to nail that down," King said. "But it's something to watch."

For now, a warmup is on the way.

The temperature is expected to reach 34 degrees today, 46 on Wednesday and 59 on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. Friday's high is an anticipated 46 degrees.

Then it gets cold again.

The Akron-Canton area is already "a touch above normal" when it comes to snowfall this season, King said.

Since Dec. 1, 16.4 inches of snow has fallen.

"That's exactly 3 inches above normal," King said.

It's a lot more snow than fell this time last year. King said from Dec. 1 until this time last year 10.7 inches of snow fell.

A news release Tuesday morning from the Ohio Department of Transportation reporting its "snow and ice update" showed that so far this season in Stark County, 6,156 tons of salt and 105,748 gallons of salt brine have been used. State workers covered 64,682 miles with those materials, costing $696,738.

At the same time last year, they had used only 4,831 tons of salt and 52,163 gallons of salt brine, the news release shows. They covered 5,823 miles with the material, which cost about $648,054.

Temperatures are expected to warm up, albeit briefly.

Saturday's expected high is 27. Sunday's and Monday's are only in the teens, according to the weather service forecast.

A daily chance of rain is in the forecast - until Friday night when freezing rain and sleet switch over to snow.

"There is going to be that transition at some point," King said.

But just when, "depends on the path of the storm," he said.

And it's too early to tell what direction that may take.

At 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, the Akron-Canton Airport was listing a temperature of 31 degrees with fog or mist, winds out of the west at 7 mph and a resulting real-feel windchill of 24 degrees.

Reach Lori at 330-580-8309 or lori.steineck@cantonrep.com.

On Twitter: @lsteineckREP

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